Sleater-Kinney
"One Beat"
(Kill Rock Stars)

After announcing a respite from touring and recording (which ended up lasting as long as most bands normally take between records) Sleater-Kinney are back in 2002 with the long-awaited follow-up to 2000's excellent "All
Hands on the Bad One". "One Beat", which for a limited time comes with a great two song single in tow, is a slightly more adventurous record musically then we are used to seeing from these gals, and from the first chords they keep up their commitment to "show us their riffs".

The title track, which leads off the record, yelps and skips its way across jagged rhythms - as angst-filled as anything this storied band has done. "Faraway" is driven by the strong bass drum of Janet Weiss, before breaking
into a pretty Mary Timony-like guitar line and ultimately ripping into a signature S-K punk moment. A catchy verse powers its way into "Oh", the catchiest song on the record which contains flecks of "All Hands on the Bad One".

"One Beat" drips of Zeppelin-esque passages and blues-inspired licks, done in the signature punk style of the new Portlanders. The first place where this is most apparent is on "Light Rail Coyote", where the band slips and
slides its way up and down the guitar neck, discovering new ways to apply its dynamic energy. The band uses its percussive power to its advantage fully on "Funeral Song", which also makes use of a theremin.

There are a couple of songs where Sleater-Kinney's cattiness and experimentation gets the best of them (Among which is "Prisstina", which sounds a bit forced and out of place). But when they do stray from the
course, Sleater-Kinney are quick to get back on track, as the next song "Hollywood Ending" which displays the band's powers.

"One Beat" continues Sleater-Kinney's impressive streak of good records, reaffirming their place as one of the most consistent acts in rock n' roll.

--Karthik